MAX2000JP

I have been toying with the idea of trading my Maxima in for an 03 Mach 1 or GT. I really like my Maxima, but want something RWD and modable. I have driven a 00 GT a couple years back and liked it, but not the insurance costs. What do you guys think I should do?

BTW....Brian please do not post in here

Anuj

my friend owns a 2002 mustang gt and it's fast and everything, but it makes a lot of noise. If you can bare that, go for it. Also, the cabin feels a lot different than a maxima. If you have a family, this car is not for you because there virtually is no back seat! If you want something RWD have you considered the Infiniti G35? It costs less than a Mach 1 but more than a Mustang GT. You also get comfort and reliability with it unlike FORD.
But if you like that muscle car sound/grunt, a mustang gt is for you. You will feel every part of the road though, but you get power..until 30,000 miles when the engine fails

pezking4

yeah, a 350z would be nice, and you could stay with the Nissan family. There will be a huge market for mods one day there.
I rode in my friend's 93 Firebird Formula the other day, and now I'm really in love with the torque. I like Fbod's more than Mustangs to begin with, they just look better, and for years have always had more impressive hp/torque figures over the Mustang.

MAX2000JP

I dont have a family and the back seat is rarely used. The G35 is too much money. With the options I want it would be well over 30k. I can get a fully loaded 03 GT for ~20k at my local dealer.

pezking4

Go with the Mach 1 or even better... a 03 Cobra

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

i say either cobra or nothing because they are making an all new stang in i think a year or 2. stick with the max until the new stang comes out, then see what kind of hp/tq figures they make. everyone has mustangs, maximas get more respect

pezking4

I think a nice 02 anniversary SS would be nice

MAX2000JP

I hate Camaros....Id rather take a 99 C5. You can find some real good deals this time of the year.

pezking4

What's wrong with Camaros?

MAX2000JP

I know the Mustang isnt an Audi interior wise, but the Camaro makes a Kia Spectra look like a Benz. The whole car is so rough. The only thing that kept it alive was the LS1.

Anuj

~20K is a good price for a 03 GT. Do you want stick or an auto? Ford is coming out with a brand new generation of Mustangs soon, looks kind of vintage with a nice twist. Have you considered that?

olincoles

Having owned two Fords: a 97 Thunderbird Sport with the 4.6L V-8 (totaled), and a 2001 Mustang GT (sold), and now joining a 2003 Maxima SE to the family, I can tell you that I like the Thunderbird best of them all. It's too bad that it was totaled and '97 was it's last year. The 2000-02 GT's are very nice, but lack any realistic or usable back seating. Plenty of mods for it though, and it handles MUCH better then the Maxima. If the Maxima had better handling, it would be a tough choice, prices are nearly the same, and better torque in the GT.

MAX2000JP

The new Mustang wont be out until late 2004. My dad sells stamping to Ford and said they are behind schedule. MT says it will be out as a MY 2004, but my dad said thats highly unlikely.

I would get a stick 03 loaded, which should list around 24k and I can get it for 20, possibly 19.5.

pezking4

True there, the C5 actually has a nice interior. But with the Camaro you really are just buying the LS1, if you wanted a nice interior you would be buying something else completely.

rubman

Interesting that you guys would even dare to compare both cars. I'm sorry but, they're in entirely different categories. Funny thing is that, just yesterday, I smoked a 2K2 4.6 for dinner. They guy was swerving in and out of traffic, and he wound up right behind me. I then proceeded to let him move in to the lane directly to the left of me, in case he wanted to run. He couldn't make his mind and we wound up trading positions on the road for about five miles, until he decided to run. I then floored it and he was pulling away and I caught up with him and smoked him badly. I just have a 2K with an intake and a y-pipe. Had a 90 5.0 GT when I graduated college. Back in those days those cars were a great bang for the buck but now they are just garbage. The Max might not be god's gift to earth but there is no comparison. At 15K not only will you have rattles on a GT, but the leather seats will be entirely shot. Oh well, just my .02 from a former GT owner. My next car will be a 330CI or a G35 Coupe, never back to domestics. Good luck on your decision. Let us know what you get.

pezking4

Was he auto? And are you? He does have 260hp to work with, so I was just wondering.

rubman

I would assume that he was auto. I was under the impression that those were very torquey engines. I ran because I was really in the mood to race. I waited until the freway was fairly clear. The more that I think about it, he may have not wanted to really race. I have 2K2 tails and he may have thought that I have the 255H.P. 3.5 VQ. He could have pulled to one of those b4 and gotten smoked. I'ms ure I could be wrong. I just know that I seriously smoked him.

pezking4

Yeah, I bet some of theose guys really fear the 2k2 6 speeds. And yes, those V8's do have some torque to them. The GT's have around 300 ft-lbs. And the Mach 1's have about 320 ft-lbs.

rubman

As much as I flame my Max, everytime I open it up at WOT I absolutely worship the car. It might be an autotragic but it hauls some serious ***. It allows me to smoke 330CI's on a daily basis here in Dallas. Don't get me wrong I LOVE BMW's but, it's my habit to spank them often. Again, at WOT it's worth putting up with all of the problems.
I mean brake, tire, paint, Bose issues, all of the problems.

pezking4

Maxima GLE interior

pezking4

Mustang premium vert interior

pezking4

Camaro SS interior

Burton069

iTrader: (2)

Spankin 330s and stang GTs? Do you have some mods that we don't know about?

pezking4

A lot of GT's are not hard to take. If they are pre 1999, then they are unpowered for the weight of the car IMO. After that they got some more power under the hood, but it can come down to a driver's race because sometimes they can't handle all the torque and end up just doing a burn out show at the light. Embarassing teenagers who don't know how to drive their new toy that mommy and daddy bought them can be funny

Burton069

iTrader: (2)

I think the pre 99s still have more torque than a 2k2, nevermind a 2K. Also 330s are 14 second cars. I don't know man...

rubman

Only mods are Stillen Intake & Y-pipe. I'm assuming that driving experience might have a thing or two to do with it. I've been driving for twenty years now. Over the years won a few, lost a few, learned a lot. I'm sure most folks on this board can relate to that.

Kojiro_FtT

In the end it's still a Ford.

And also, I would just find a different car even if it weren't a Ford. Everyone and thier grandma has a Mustang around here. They hand them out for your 16th birthday it seems. Get a '97 Thunderbird or something. Or an F-body. Anything but a Stang. Or just be a part of the herd and buy one.

scmaxima2k

iTrader: (3)

if ur gonna get a stang, at least get a cobra, or even a saleen or roush(the only stangs i would ever own), but in my opinion ,i hate fords... Id go with either an SS or WS6... But if u like the stangs, go for it

jjs

I believe there was a financial consideration here...

"I dont have a family and the back seat is rarely used. The G35 is too much money. With the options I want it would be well over 30k. I can get a fully loaded 03 GT for ~20k at my local dealer."

Kind of rules out the way out Mustangs.

pezking4

I didn't say anything about the 330's, since I don't know a whole lot about those. But I have run against GT's at the track before and I was dead even with a bad clutch.

Burton069

iTrader: (2)

oops my bad. I was directing that at rubman.

bobcat

Maybe I'm just dumb.. but don't cars with V8's usually produce more HP than V6's.. i mean, the 2k2 max is 255 hp, but the GT is just 260? What're the extra 2 cylinders good for.. just torque and the glug-glug-glug coming from the tailpipes?

anyway, back to the question.. My dad just got a 2k2 GT convertible a couple months ago. While the convertible is nice I really wasn't all the impressed with the car. Its loud as hell, its interior sucks. Not only are the back seats almost non existant, but the front seats are pretty crampt too. That's what makes the max so great.. yea its fast, but it's also a good ride! Nice comfy seats.. large cabin.. makes long trips great. I couldn't imagine spending more than a couple hours cramped up in a GT's driver seat.

I'd comment on the performance of the two but like I said it's my dad's car.. I don't think he would've appreciated me opening it up on the freeway but from what I can tell the GT is nothing spectacular. Keep the max. Wait till the new maximas (assuming they are coming out soon?) & GT's are out and make your decision then.

MAX2000JP

I am also waiting to test drive the 350Z. I would be really interested in an Enthusiast model if they let me use the VPP plan.

As for the Mustang, I am really worried about how the interior looks. It is good enough for me. I am buying the car more because its a great platform to mod. You can do a lot of nice stuff to the suspension to get it handling awesome.

190hpKiLLA

iTrader: (11)

Hully loaded CLS 5spd with headers will break 14s ust like your stang and will hang with LS1. All for 30grand. Save up and get something you wont regret later.

MAX2000JP

A 6 speed CL-S wont run with LS-1's, plus it is FWD.

jjames

Just torque? JUST torque? Dude, torque wins races. The Max is pretty much tapped (NA) at 255 hp. The GTs V8 ain't even close to being maxed out. Some headers, a cam, and a little more work, and you have a true performance car.

That said, I find it odd that someone is trying to make a decision between these cars? It's just a strange comparison. What I mean is, you don't go to a Pizzaria when you're hungry for steak. They both taste good, they're just way different and not comparable.

MAX2000JP

I own a 2k 5 speed with 40k miles on it. I kinda want something different. I am just thinking that the GT is my best choice because I can get an awesome deal on it.

jjames

Ahh, I get it. You're getting a little bit of a performance bug.??? That's something I can certainly understand.

MAX2000JP

Yea my car is pretty much modded right now. Its either Turbo/SC the Maxima or get a new car. With FI, the car wont be too much fun to run around the track.

MNMax

WRX????

MazdaSpeed Protege??